Welcome to MIAMI

We explore the queer and vibrant streets of Miami Beach before getting a feel for Wynwood, Miami's trendy up-and-coming neighbourhood

- Alastair James

There’s a collective gasp as our airboat driver, Humberto, jumps over the banister of the raised walkway separating our group from a supposedly 60-year-old female alligator. What seems like sheer recklessness is of no concern to Humberto, however, who assures us he and the affectionately named ‘Mama Gator’ are so well acquainted she can recognise Humberto by the sound and vibrations of his swamp craft.

Humberto takes one of our phones to snap some closeups and casually bops Mama G on the snout as he explains how he can tell her apart from the others because of the ridges along her back. Later, he pats her on the belly, like you would a dog. Amazingly, the alligator remains unperturbed throughout most of the encounter as she bathes in the Florida sunshine. Eventually, she moves away in what I suspect is mild irritation.

As far as ‘wow!’ moments go, Tigertail Airboat Tours’ trip around the mangroves and marshes of Everglades National Park, on Florida’s southern tip, is just that. An easy day out from Miami, it took just 45 minutes for the high rises to melt away and for our group of LGBTQ+ journalists to arrive here.

It’s hard to not be impressed by the vastness of the 1.5-million-acre wetlands, of which we cover a fraction. The sun glints off the water as we race over the surface. Pointing out the Cypress trees starved white by the dry winter, our guides, Houston and Jean, describe how nature comes alive with luminous colour and vibrancy in the wet summer months.